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Cleopatra: A Hollywood Great

Cleopatra. The mere name of this seminal 60s movie can't help but conjure images of Elizabeth Taylor in full Egyptian (-via-Hollywood) gilded dress, elaborate sets, Richard Burton's smouldering Marc Anthony and lest we forget the enduring real-life romance of the movie's two stars.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Cleopatra made a return to the fold last month when it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in association with another of Taylor's long time loves, Italian jewellers Bulgari (Burton - who famously lavished his wife with diamonds - once quipped: "The only Italian Elizabeth knows is Bulgari") Given a new lease of life with a restored version of the four-hour epic, this timeless classic has also become one of the most fascinating Hollywood tales as well. The first 'blockbuster' in the guise we've come to know them, the lavishness and sheer opulence of the movie has become the stuff of Hollywood legend.

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Cementing the unrivalled star power of Elizabeth Taylor, the film co-starred a myriad of Hollywood's greatest acting talent from both sides of the pond - not least Richard Burton in the role of Marc Anthony and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar. But in spite of its iconic status, it's hard to believe that this feather in Hollywood's cap was actually deemed a monumental flop for years afterward.

Despite being the highest grossing film of 1963, the picture didn't even come close to recovering the cost it had taken to complete after production ran to three years, not to mention Taylor's ballooning salary. The movie nearly bankrupted its studio. That said, despite critical ambivalence at the time, the film did go on to be nominated for nine Oscars (eventually snaring four of them) and Taylor's costume changes earned her a Guinness World Record.

The film's cultural legacy also marked a new era for Hollywood too. Burton and Taylor's high profile love affair (which began on set) became one of the first tabloid scandals - even the Vatican condemned the pair - while endorsements with beauty brands like Revlon, who produced eyeliner in plastic sarcophagus-like containers, saw a shift in the way movies are promoted. Andy Warhol famously commented that Cleopatra was the "most influential movie of the 60s", even accrediting the picture with proliferating the famous 60s beauty aesthetic of thick, liquid-lined eyes and a nude lip.

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Indeed, with so much industry history woven into the Cleopatra story, the 50th anniversary edition of the flick will no doubt welcome a whole new audience to the Hollywood epic.

Cleopatra: 50th Anniversary Editionis available on Blu-ray and DVD now. Twentieth Century Fox will release the film in select cinemas from the 12th July.